Caged Hearts
by candyabble
Summary: They weren’t trained to love. They’re not even supposed to know what love is. So can they hide their feelings in a place that’s watching their every move? MA COMPLETE
1. Default Chapter

Title:  Caged Hearts

Summary:  They weren't trained to love.  They're not even supposed to know what love is.  So can they hide their feelings in a place that's watching their every move?

Rating:  R (An NC-17 version can be found on my web page or at Gumboot Mafia)

Pairing:  M/A

Genre:  Angst, romance, AU

Background:  In 2009, Max was caught while the others escaped.  She, along with a few others, was moved to a different facility.  She went through reindoctrination until she became a good little soldier again.  At fifteen, the X5s were broken down into different groups according to whatever specialized weapon they were to become.  In Max's group is 494.  She names him Alec.  Their relationship started off antagonistic but by 2018 when the story begins, they have become "secret lovers."  

Part One

          "Alec."  Max gasped.  "Harder!"  

          He readily obliged. 

His knees should be hurting him as they supported the two of them on the cold, hard ground of the forest that surrounded them.  But he was lost in her.  The pain in his knees could not compare to the bliss her body provided for him.

          "Alec!" He heard her scream at the same time her inner muscles gripped him fiercely, and then he burst.

          Slowly the sounds of birds chirping and the rustling of tree branches as squirrels hopped from one to another registered to the ears of the sated X5s.  However the two gave no indication of acknowledging the scenery.  Max remained wrapped around Alec, his hands just below her ass supporting her as they continued to kiss, both reluctant to separate.

          "It's been way to long."  Alec said once they came up for air.

          "Tell me about it."  She sighed.  

          "Hey, where you going?"  He pulled her closer to him when he felt her trying to get off of him.

          "Alec."  She laughed as she pretended to struggle to get away from him.

          "Maxie, come on, we have time."

          "We do not.  Ohhh."  

          "Sure we do." He mumbled against her throat between licks. 

          Max closed her eyes and moaned, but a second later she was on her feet as was he a few feet away from her.  They both heard the sound of approaching footsteps in the distance; therefore, no words were spoken as they redressed in a blur.

          "452 and 494!"  A voice boomed five minutes later.

          The two X5s promptly snapped to attention.

          "Sir yes sir!"  The two replied in perfect unison.

          "Status!"  The TAC leader barked.

          "Sir, five holes measuring 4 by 9 by 6 feet spaced one foot apart as ordered, sir!"  494 answered.

          "Very good soldiers.  Gather your supplies and report to your sections immediately."  

          "Yes sir!"  The two saluted before turning to do as ordered.

          "Well that was close."  Max said after she was sure the TAC leader was long gone.

          "Imagine if he had come ten minutes earlier."  Alec smiled at her.  "I don't know if I would have been able to stop."  He added huskily.

          "He would have had quite a show.  Think they would have giving us adjoining suites in Psych Ops to show their appreciation?"

It was meant to be a joke but the two couldn't help shuddering anyway at the very real possibility.  As an attempted escapee and a twin of an escapee, both had spent their share of time in Psych Ops and neither was itching for a return trip.  

It was really quite remarkable that they were taking such a chance at all, considering the risk.  But being together had become like a drug.  Manticore ensured that they were repressed every second of every day.  So the times when they could sneak off, the sheer joy and freedom of their coupling were addictive.  And they decided it was a risk worth taking.  

***

          They didn't dare sit next to each other or even look at each other during lunch.  They learned a long time ago what a distraction just the sight of each other could be for them.  Distraction was never tolerated but it was even less so the fifteen minutes before lunch.  

They wanted perfect soldiers and they were never allowed to forget that they were supposed to perform perfectly so Manticore made them work for everything and food was no exception.

A folder was waiting on every table.  Some folders contained partial schematics for a weapon or structure and the group had to finish it correctly. Sometimes they had to look through autopsy photos to ascertain the cause of death, no matter how gruesome.  Other times it was a complex math equation.  But no matter the task or level of difficulty, they had to solve it as a group within fifteen minutes or else the entire table did not get to eat.  

          Their table finished with three minutes to spare.  Alec chanced a look in her direction.  She was seated with her back completely straight and her hands clasped on the table in front of her like he was, like they all were.  But unlike him her eyes were, like everyone else's, blankly staring forward.  There'd be no getting her attention now.  He'd have to wait until later.

***

          Max put the P90 submachine gun back on the shelf and grabbed another one.  Just one more to go and then she'd be done.  She wasn't particular thrilled with being surrounded by all this fire power.  Her thoughts usually turned dark.  For almost every single kind of weapon she had to clean and load, she could remember the face of a unit member who was either dead or severely injured by it.  

          But she did like the time she got to be alone while she worked.  No TAC leader barking orders at her or even better no dull eyed soldier for a partner.  She much preferred to do assigned tasks alone unless of course she was partnered with 494.  Alec.  She noticed that no matter what time of day it was, where she was, or what she was doing, thoughts of him eventually would seep into her brain.  Not that she minded. 

"Hey Maxie." 

Speak of the devil Max thought before hissing. "Are you crazy!"  She continued to scowl as she sent a warning look at the camera.  "You know better than to call me that."

"Shush shush its okay."  Alec said calmly.  "Dobson's on surveillance and he owed me a favor."

"They're not watching in here."  Max said looking at the camera again.

"Nope, it's just you and me."  He answered while closing the door and locking it.  "You can say my name as loud as you want." 

Max grinned before putting down the big gun and launching herself at him.  The two tumbled to the floor with Max landing on top.  Slowly she leaned down and covered his mouth with hers.  She felt his fingers move through her hair as they explored each others mouths.  

 "Alec."  She sighed in the aftermath making him smile against her throat.  He wondered if she knew the power she had over him just be saying his name.  

She had given it to him not long after they first met.  The name was not meant to be a compliment.  The same was true for him because whenever he said her name he did it mockingly.  

If she fucked up and was being verbally stripped as soon as she passed him in the line on the way back to her spot in formation she'd hear him under his breath saying snidely "way to go _Max?" And the same would go for him.  "Nice one __Alec," he knew he'd hear whenever he messed up.  _

But then a funny thing happened.  While away on a mission, they were the only two that had to infiltrate the building.  Once inside they had to split up but they had com links between the two of them. 

_"Alec, I'm in position and it's clear."_

_          "Right behind you, Max."  _

The snideness was gone and it seemed so natural to drop it that it didn't dawn on them until they were back in the van and their CO was asking for a briefing that not once while they were communicating inside did they use their designations.  When they got back to the base, if no one else was around calling each other by names rather than designation became the norm.  It became like a code for them; a way they knew they could rebel but only with each other.  No one else had names, and if they did, they never dared use them.  So for 452 and 494, using Max and Alec instead, was the beginning of a friendship.  

But friendship was a relationship discouraged immensely by Manticore.  Loyalty to Manticore was above all the most important.  Reporting a unit member for an infraction wasn't considered ratting out or betrayal, it was for the good of Manticore for the unit member to be punished if they messed up, and not reporting something seen spelled trouble for the entire unit.  It gave one a headache whenever you really tried to understand Manticore's logic.  Loyalty was the most important but you couldn't trust the people you were supposed to be loyal to because the best way to show how loyal you were was by betraying a member of your unit. 

Having and using names other than designations was a big no no which meant 494 could have turned "Max," in the moment she told him her name and gave him his.  However he didn't.  For a long time, Max wondered about that.  After all, Alec resented the O'niners with a passion because he was a twin and had to suffer for their desertion.  He reminded her of that often enough angering her to no end because they had been part of her unit and she still had affection for them.  

Most of their early arguments and fights had to do with his frustration that she could still defend them even after being put through Psych Ops.  Sometimes Max wondered too if her reason for adamantly defending them was because she really felt that way or was it just to piss off 494 because Manticore certainly did a thorough job of telling her that her old unit were traitors and deserters.  And sometimes when things were particular bad or she was in a great deal of pain Max did feel like they had abandoned her.  But it didn't last.  

More than anything she believed she was a failure and that's why she didn't make it out.  Slipping through the ice and getting caught because of it was inexcusable; totally her fault.  She knew she would have kept running if any other unit had fallen, just like when she thought they had Zack.  So she couldn't really blame them for leaving her behind.  She could only blame herself which is why she pushed herself to be a really good soldier once she was reindoctrinated.  Her stellar record was why she was eventually trusted to do missions only a few years after the escape.  She was even cleared before Jace whom hadn't even tried but just being part of the original unit meant that they had a lot more tests to go through before they could be sent out on missions.  Max needed to prove to herself that she wasn't a failure and she needed to prove to the others that she wasn't weak because she tried to abandon her mission so she always pushed herself as hard as she could and therefore passed with flying colors.  She was cleared at the same time the twins were which was still a year after the other X5s were because being a twin also meant more tests and harsher punishments.  

She didn't know why meeting 494 had such a self destructive effect on her.  Kicking him in the balls and screaming at him that her name was Max and then naming him too certainly gave him enough ammo to make sure she was placed on heavy restriction for the remainder of her days.  But he never turned her in, even though they seemingly hated each other.  It was that act that first bonded them.  And the fact that they broke that rule meant that whenever the other one wanted to do something wild and crazy they always knew who to go to.  In effect they became partners in crime behind the iron curtain of Manticore.

But it was a dangerous game they started in a place where anything could be used against you.

          "Hey Maxie, we gotta get up now."  Max nodded and slowly got up.  Before dressing she put the machine gun she had been working on before being interrupted back.  She then quickly loaded the last one.

          "Where you off to now?"  Alec asked as they dressed hurriedly.

          "Lab."

          "Observation?"  Alec asked with a hopeful expression.  Max looked down and Alec's hopeful expression immediately fell.  "Subject."  He whispered to which Max nodded slightly in confirmation.  "Do you know what they're gonna do?"  

Max shrugged easily a brave smile on her lips.  "Whatever it is I can handle it."

          Her words were empty and her smile was forced.  They both knew it.

          Alec closed the small distance between them and then titled her head up and kissed her deeply.  "Just think about our adventure in the woods and here…if…you know if it gets, you know, to be too…much."

          Not trusting herself to speak, Max nodded and quickly stood.  After dressing in silence, Alec pulled her to him and squeezed her tightly before recapturing her lips.  

          "I'll see you later, okay."  They didn't dare say goodbye…ever.  In their lives, despite seeing each other everyday and in essence living together, a goodbye could actually be forever.

          "You bet."

TBC


	2. part two

Disclaimer:  I disclaim

Caged Hearts

Part 2

Alec limped along the corridor making slow progress to his destination.  The smell of antiseptic, Lysol, and blood grew stronger with each step.  

Two days ago he learned that she had been in the infirmary all this time.  When three days passed and he hadn't seen her for role call or around the compound, the struggle of not knowing became insufferable.  Knowing she was alive got him through another day, but not knowing if she was okay was what finally made him take the butt of his rifle and smash his toe in when no one was looking.  He knew that before sending him to isolation for sustaining an injury as a result of carelessness, they'd allow him to go to the infirmary first to patch it up.

        Alec's heart sped up painfully at the sight of her.  He almost gave them away by blurring to her but an unfamiliar stinging in his eyes drew his attention back to himself and to where he was and what he was doing.  He looked down, flexed his toe and winced.  _FUCK!  It hurt but he definitely had worst.  Certainly nothing to cry over so why the hell had he been so close to tears just now?  _

Alec quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching.  Luckily there were only two nurses and they were each busy attending the only other two patients aside from Max.  He looked back over towards her and again felt his eyes tearing up and a lump forming in his throat.  He had an incredible urge to go to her and take her hand or stroke her hair, but that would be suicide.  And he _knew_ that so why had he even thought something so stupid?  He angrily dabbed his eyes and then limped over to a counter that had bandages and antiseptics.  

He chose the one closest to her bed so that he'd be able to check her status without looking suspicious.  After all that was the whole purpose of inflicting pain on himself and losing tomorrow's three meals in favor of isolation.  He had just wanted to see if she was okay after her latest stint in the lab.  

        She wasn't.

        His eyes were immediately drawn to her neck.  Upon further perusal he saw that her hands, too, were unnaturally swollen.  They didn't look at all like the surprisingly soft and delicate hands that stroked him so many times in the past.  Unbidden his mind flashed to the sound she made when he licked and sucked the throat that looked nothing like the atrocity it was now.  There were also lesions covering a good portion of her skin.  They must have been testing a new chemical on her, Alec figured.  The swelling was most likely a side effect of whatever drugs they were testing to see what was the best antidote just in case whatever foreign power used it as a weapon or the more likely case we use it and our soldiers accidentally get dosed, Alec thought cynically.  

He looked up when a movement drew his attention back to her face.  She was blinking.  Alec's heart clenched knowing that meant she was conscious.  He looked backed to the clear bags feeding into her arm.  None were painkillers. 

The stinging was back in his eyes and he noticed his hands were shaking as they attended his toe.  Just then the hairs on the back of his neck pricked up and he spun around.  

The look in his eyes could only be described as feral as he stared down at what he perceived as an approaching threat. 

        "Is there a problem 494?"  The nurse asked, more than a little unnerved at the way the transgenic was looking at him.  When the soldier failed to respond, the nurse, remembering his training, straightened further and attempted to sound more authoritative despite how close to quivering he was on the inside.  "494, I asked you a question."

Alec shook his head in an attempt to clear it.

"Sorry sir," 494 responded loudly.  "Just came back from live ordinance drills.  My ears are stopped up and I didn't hear you."  He didn't wait to see if the nurse believed him or not.  Instead he moved passed him stiffly, resisting the urge to look back at her one more time.

Once in isolation, Alec was thankful for the time alone to think and sort out the strange responses he was having lately.    

He couldn't believe how close he had come to killing that nurse earlier and seeing Max so hurt was the reason.  Her tortured body stirred up such fierce feelings of protection inside of him that when that nurse came near her all he could see was someone who had embodied Manticore and it was Manticore that had hurt Max.

But Max was a soldier.  Like he was.  Both of them had and would continue to go through worse.  Why had those emotions surged through him, first upon seeing her after not having seen her for the past few days and then his primal need to protect her from the perceived threat when the nurse approached? Alec wondered.  What did any of it mean?

TBC


	3. part three

Title:  Caged Hearts

Summary:  They weren't trained to love.  They're not even supposed to know what love is.  So can they hide their feelings in a place that's watching their every move?

Rating:  R (NC-17 version can be found on my web page at gumboot mafia)

Pairing:  M/A

Genre:  Angst, romance

Background:  In 2009, Max was caught while the others escaped.  She, along with a few others, was moved to a different facility.  She went through reindoctrination until she became a good little soldier again.  At fifteen, the X5s were broken down into different groups according to whatever specialized weapon they were to become.  In Max's group is 494.  She names him Alec.  Their relationship started off antagonistic but by 2018 when the story begins, they are involved in a "secret lovers" relationship.  

Part 3

THWACK!

343 hit the mat hard and 452 didn't waste time before quickly using her body to pin the other girl firmly to the mat.  

A month had passed since Max had been released from the infirmary.  A week later and she was at full strength.  

        "You give."  Max whispered in 343's ear.  The girl struggled a moment longer before relaxing and then nodding her head.  

        Max sprang off of her and then held out her hand to help 343 up.  It was the last rotation and since their fight was over, the two could leave to shower and then turn in for the night.

        "So 343, who is he?  Relax, girl, I'm not going to say anything."  Max explained when 343's alarmed eyes met hers.

        "What are you talking about?"  343 asked.

        Max rolled her eyes and then pointed to the red mark on the side of the other girl's breast.

        "I…ugh…that happened from sparring earlier.  Yeah 299 has some unconventional moves."

        Max laughed.  "Nice try 343." She looked around.  The communal shower area was empty except for the two of them.  Max smiled devilishly "Come on, divulge."

        "There's nothing to tell."

        "Jace."  Max whined.  343 looked at her sharply and Max flushed.  "I..I..mean 343."  343's look softened gradually.  "Look I know that's a hickey and I know that you haven't been out of Manticore lately so who's the lucky guy.  Its okay 343, I'm not gonna tell, sides you've got something on me now so we're even."  Max bargained referring to her use of an unauthorized identification.  343 slowly reached for the shampoo bottle and sighed.

        "His name's Victor."

        At Max's dropped jaw, 343 continued.  "He's a lab tech."   Max had been expecting a number.  _And she thought she was taking a risk with Alec, but a member of personnel, that was unheard of unless…_

        "Jace," Max said seriously.  "He's not—"

        "No."  Jace said emphatically knowing immediately what Max was implying.  "I wanted to be with him.  He was my observer for practicum.  But after it was up, we kept seeing each other.  I just kept finding myself near the lab during his shift."  Jace laughed.  A rare sound.  "And then…well, I thought it was just luck that he was later assigned the midnight shift until he confessed that he requested it so that we could spend more time together alone."  Jace laughed again and Max couldn't help but smile back.  Then 343 paused in lathering her hair and looked at Max.   

"I…I think I love him."

        "You what?"  Max snatched the shampoo bottle from the shelf and applied a generous amount to her hand.  "How would you even know?"  She asked genuinely confused.

        "When he told me that he loved me—"

        "He said that?" Max asked incredulously while looking as if she just tasted something really nasty.

        Jace nodded.  "I asked him what he meant, but he couldn't really describe it for me.  He finally just said that you just know."

        Max shrugged.  "So now you think you just know?"  She asked disbelievingly.

        "Well, I know the only time I'm ever happy is when I'm with him.  When I'm not with him I think about him all the time.  I really like when we…you know.

        "Have sex?"

        "Yeah…only he calls it making love."

        Max laughed.  "Oh wait, he was serious."  

        Jace nodded firmly despite Max's baffled expression.

        "Making love…hmm…interesting."

        Both girls look towards the door when they heard the sounds of approaching feet.

        "This stays between us, right?" 343 whispered.

        "Of course."

        "Thanks, Max."  Jace's smile was beautiful and Max got a warm feeling at the rare sight.

        She returned her smile and added softly.  "No problem." 

***

        _Caught!_  Alec cursed to himself when he heard the sound of the doorknob turning behind him.

        _You see, sir, it's like this.  I needed some fresh air.  The barracks can be pretty stuffy so that's why I'm here holding this screen that I just took off that window at three in the morning._

        "Max?"  Alec breathed when instead of being met by a member of staff he was faced with the beautiful brunette.  "You scared the shit of me.  What are you doing here?  I thought you'd already be on the roof."

        "Construction. My way's completely blocked off so I had to come all the way over here."  She whispered back.

        Most of the night staff were familiar with her sleep patterns, or lack there of, and didn't give her grief about wandering the compound late at night.  There were still plenty who would give her a hard time, but they were easy enough to avoid even when she had to go all the way from the female barracks to his.  

        "Shame."  Alec smiled before setting down the window screen.  

        It really was a shame.  It was so much easier getting to the roof by her barracks.  She would have been there a full hour before him, making sure it was safe, and setting up a place where they could be together.  

The top of the compound was the best place to meet.  None of the creepy X7s patrolled there.  There were numerous nooks and crannies that the two could fit in to avoid the lights from the towers that occasionally swept the area.  But they didn't meet here too often.  It was a lot riskier for Alec to sneak out of his barracks and then to the room with the drainpipe right outside of the window he was currently climbing out of.  Plus, they could only meet on the roof in the middle of the night and unlike her, he needed to sleep sometimes.

        As soon as they found a secluded spot, they shed their clothes and reached for each other.  Weeks had gone by with them only having conflicting bouts of free time. When he finished his daily activities early, her squad had to do night drills. When she was training in the south field, he was assigned to the north.  However, the worst times were when they were in the same room or standing right next to each other yet couldn't touch, speak or even look at one another.  But finally they were both clear of duties at the same time, and they didn't want to waste that time with chit chat.

        Alec groaned and Max bit her lip to hold in a scream as they rode out the waves of pleasure together.  And then they snuggled close, taking comfort in the sound of each other's breathing.  

The air was chilly.  A normal person probably would have been shivering.   But it felt good to the slightly sweaty bodies of the two transgenics whose, even before the rigorous activity theirs had just under gone, body temperatures always ran hotter than a normal person's. 

        A gentle breeze caressed their skin and Alec pulled Max closer and sighed.  It was so peaceful, probably the closest thing to a romantic setting they'd ever get.  That is if Alec cared about romance and all that other sentimental crap.  Nevertheless, as he looked up at the numerous stars decorating the sky, he couldn't help feeling content despite where he was.  It was the quietness, as well, that contributed to the illusion that he wasn't laying on top of the building where so many atrocities had taken place.  In the daytime, Manticore was very, very noisy.  And he supposed that was understandable for a building full of people mostly under the age of eighteen.  Except that the sounds to be expected in such a building, children's voices, laughter, music, had no place in the ambiance of Manticore.  Men shouting, soldiers shouting back, gunfire, explosives, screams, now that was the soundtrack for Manticore.  But sometimes at night, and tonight was one of them, all those noises went away and Alec could pretend he was somewhere else. 

        "343's in love."  Max said suddenly breaking the silence.

        "Huh?"  Alec asked not quite ready to be pulled from his thoughts.

        "Yeah, she's been sneaking around with one of the lab techs—"

        "Wait, a regular human?"

        "Mmm hmm."  Max turned her face towards his, needing to see his eyes while she talked.  "She said they're in love with each other."

        "Please," Alec said with a dismissive wave of his hand.  "We're weapons not regular people.  Even if we were capable, we know better than to waste our energies on emotions like love."  

        "Well to hear 343 talk, it was like she couldn't help feeling the way she felt for him."  Max turned her gaze away from Alec and back towards the sky and shrugged.  "It just happened."

        "How?"

        "I don't know.  She said it was from being with him and having sex with him and stuff."

        "So having sex with someone means you love them?"  He asked skeptically.

"No, I mean, I'm sure it's more involved than that."     

        "How so?"

"Well, she's with a member of personnel.  That's a really big risk.  But she's willing to do it.  And look at us.  Are we _only _taking this chance of being together because of sex?

        "Well yeah.  I really like having sex with you. It feels good.  Really, really good.  Don't you think?"

        "Of course.  I mean its sex.  It's supposed to.  After all, sex _is _a basic biological act and I'd say we've been doing it right, so of course, it feels good and we like it."  

Alec nodded in agreement and the two remained silent for a while.  

"But do you think we'd like it as much if it was with other people?"  Max asked tentatively.

"I don't know.  I mean with another X, maybe.  I know definitely not with an ordinary female.  They told us along time ago we, males, have to be in control at all times when we have sex with one.  Only someone like you could take me."  Alec leered while tickling her side and making her laugh.

"So with another X it'd be the same?"  Max said after slapping his hand away.  

"No…well I mean I don't know.  I don't really look at the other females here and want to be with them" Alec shrugged.  "I only want you."

His words were nonchalant, yet the feelings they conjured in Max were explosive.  She felt warm all over.

"I know what you mean.  I feel the same way."  She replied, her voice sounding different to her own ears.  "Does that mean we're in love?"

Alec laughed.  "I don't know Max.  It's such a weird concept.  Private Walker said numerous times how much he loves to eat.  And I heard Nurse Laura say that she loves her new car.  Oh and once when I had to help the guys down at the motor pool, one of them said how his girlfriend loves to piss him off.

"Yeah but all those uses of the word love were probably slang.  I don't think any of them apply to what 343 meant.  Back with my old unit," Max felt him stiffen and begin to pull away. "Alec I know how you feel about my old unit, but it's the only way I know how to explain."  She explained sternly.  Alec sighed before relaxing again.  And Max took a deep breath to gather her thoughts to try and explain what, even to her, was a confusing topic.

"I miss them.  With them, it wasn't like it is here.  We always looked out for each other, first and foremost.  And as time went on, I guess we finally got sick of seeing each other getting killed.  Perk, Jack, Eva.  We didn't care that we had no idea what was beyond Manticore's walls, we just knew we didn't want to see anymore of us hurt or killed.  We were willing to risk our lives, our way of life, because we…loved each other more than our mission."

"But Max, look how complicated things got.  For you, me, probably for them too, being out in that disgusting world and all.  Think about how things would have been if you hadn't felt that way for your unit and then tell me if it was all worth it."

That would take awhile so Max only shrugged in response.  

"I like what we have.  Love would probably just mess it up." Alec whispered.  Max nodded and hugged him tighter in an attempt to get back the warm feeling that had vanished with his latest words.

TBC


	4. part four

NC-17 version of this chapter located on Gumboot Mafia and on my web page. 

Part 4

        She tried to contain her smile when she saw him making his way over to their table for breakfast.  

        He'd been away on a mission for the past two weeks, and the thought crossed her mind more than once on whether or not she'd ever see him again.  The missions to foreign war-torn countries were always uncertain.  

They both knew that better than anyone.

As their table stared straight ahead, having already finished this morning's puzzle, she felt his eyes on her.  

She moved her eyes in his direction and sure enough he was looking back her way and slowly, so not to draw attention, signing something to her.  

_Roof; tonight; 0200_

Max blinked twice in affirmation.

***

        "If you got to take the Blackbird, how come it took you forever to get back from Kazmekastan?"

"Come on, Maxie, you know that overthrowing a government and setting up a new regime doesn't happen in a day."

Max rolled her eyes in fake annoyance.  "Go on."  She huffed ordering him to get back to his story.

"So anyways, Sergeant Clipper drops us off in this really slummy area and considering the state of the rest of the town that's saying a lot.  He gives us each the equivalent of about twenty dollars and tells us to have fun.  Of course I'm thinking what the hell does he expect us to do or buy?  The shops only sell things like pig snouts and sheep turd."

Max laughed and Alec smiled and squeezed her closer enjoying the sound and feel of her back in his arms.

"But the second we walked maybe five feet from the jeeps, a bunch of women came out of no where.  Some were even way younger than us.  They were pulling on our clothes, saying all these things they'd do for us and to us.  It was the funniest thing to see 786 and 311 turn so red.  I thought I was going to have smack 208 because he just couldn't stop laughing."

"Well who were these girls?  What were they saying that was so funny?" Max asked.  

"They were hookers, Max.  Apparently Sergeant Clipper feels we're at that age where we deserve some off hours during our away missions."  He laughed.  "It would have been nice if we had gotten some kind of briefing before being dropped off in the middle of._that."  _Alec laughed again.  "I thought 303 was going to faint when one of the girls cupped him and stuck her tongue in his ear."

"Knowing Manticore they probably were watching from a distance just to see how you guys responded to certain 'stimuli."

"Probably."  He conceded.  "Well the boys caught on pretty quick."  He nodded.  "Oh and then this one lady, Lola, pulls me and 631 towards her "room."  After she shoves 631 through the curtain she grabs me _and _786 and pulls us in too.  She puts on this weird music and starts dancing and next thing I know she's taking off her shirt."  Alec paused.  "You okay?"  He asked upon feeling how stiff Max had become all of a sudden.

"Fine."  She answered curtly.  "So did you have fun with this Lola lady?"

Alec waved his hand in front of his face.  "Nah, I left those two blockheads alone with her and walked back to the base."

Max's stunned eyes looked up at him, but he was still staring up at the stars and didn't notice her expression.

"786 and 631 thought I was crazy but for some reason she just didn't do anything for me."

        "Well what exactly did you want her to do that she couldn't?"  She asked slyly. 

        Alec looked down at her then.  There was a glimmer in his eye as he replied in a husky voice. "I wanted her to turn into you."

        She smiled at him before kissing him thoroughly.  She looked at him in surprise when she felt him push her away.  

        Alec sat up and reached into his fatigues and pulled something out.  

        "What's that?"

        Alec smirked as he moved it out of her reach.  When she pouted he handed it to her with a delighted smile.  

Max unrolled the papers to reveal two bills each with the number 100 printed on them.  

"That's 200 Kazrupee."  Alec said.

She immediately knew what it was.  Although the value of the bills in her hand was only the equivalent of about twenty U.S. dollars, it was as if he'd handed her black diamonds.

The concept of souvenirs was just as foreign as the currency in her hand, but she instinctively knew how special it was that he thought of her enough while away to bring something back from his trip and the fact that it was something that proved that he hadn't spent any of the money, the Sergeant had given them for recreation caused a deluge of happiness to pour through her.

        Max threw her arms around him with such force that they both fell backwards.  Laughing along with him, she hugged him fiercely. When she pulled away and noted their position of her on top of him, she held up the money in front of his face.

        "I think I should earn this." She said sensuously.

***

A week later, Max sat alone from the same spot on the roof looking off in the distance remembering every moment the two had spent seven days ago.

        She hadn't seen him since.  And she was getting worried because she didn't know where he was.  

There was always time between when you found out you were being sent on a mission and the actually deployment.  So if he was on a mission, he would have had time to tell her he was going first.  She'd already been by the infirmary and he hadn't been there either.  

So where was he?

        Max knew she'd have to ask someone.  Thing was, she had to be nonchalant about.  She pondered away to avoid suspicion for a while longer before coming up with a plan.

"631"

The dark haired boy turned around and regarded her curiously.

"You're in Block 14, correct?"

"Yes."

"Did you happen to see my handbook in there?"

"No.  Why would your handbook be in our barracks, 452?"  Max noted the amusement that sparked in 631's eyes at the idea that a female lost her handbook in the male barracks.  

"I gave mine to 494 to copy the notes he missed while away on a mission.  He hasn't returned it and I haven't seen him to ask him about it."  Max answered.  She almost laughed at the disappointment in 631's face at how innocent her reason had been.  _If he only knew._

"I'll look but you might want to get a new one because 494 won't be around for a long time."

Max's stomach dropped but her voice was calm when she asked.  "Why's that?"

"They came for him in the middle of the night a week ago."  631 told her.  Max's heart clenched at his morbid expression.  "Psych ops."  He added softly.

It was hard, but she managed to force her tears back down.  Then she nodded curtly before quickly turning and hurrying away.

TBC

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	5. part 5

Caged Hearts

Part 5

          Max looked wistfully at her pink and white sandals before shoving them into her knapsack.  After zipping the small bag all the way, she bent over to her feet and began lacing up her boots.  

          She never had any feelings towards her boots positive or negative until this moment.  She hated them.  The sandals she got to wear for the past week were so much more comfortable.  Her toes were free to wiggle and feel the warmth of the air as she walked around the beautiful place she had just been.  Being back in the boots meant the end of sunshine, tropical drinks, and nightly sprints on the beach while her target's household slept.

Now it was back to long marches in the freezing Seattle rain, stomping feet hitting the pavement or tiles in perfect sync, and muddy, cold hands from removing every speck of dirt that stained these black boots.  

Before when she was returning from a mission, the thought that Alec would be there was always a consolation.  And when she was stuck on base, the idea that he was either there or would be back from a mission soon enough always distracted her from the dismal routine that made up life at Manticore.  But it had been over five months since she last saw him.  Day after day with nothing to look forward to; only utter loneliness. 

***

Her eyes were dull and her voice monotone as she recited the parameters of her successful mission to her handler. 

After being dismissed she was ordered to medical for a check up and then she was to report to barracks for the remainder of the night as was protocol.  She stood patiently against the wall as a detail of X8s passed by.  The sound of their tiny bare feet slapping the floor was the only one they made.  

Max took one step in the direction of the infirmary but halted when a figure walked out.  She couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her lips when he looked towards her, but lucky for her, it wasn't that loud.

It was Alec.  At least she was almost positive it was.  She couldn't be one hundred percent sure because of how different he looked since the last time she saw him.

He was so much thinner.  All his hair had been shaved off.  However, the gaunt frame, and shorn head weren't what made Max hesitant to believe that was Alec standing not too far away from her. It was his eyes.  Never had she seen anyone look so haunted, let alone him.  Despite everything there was always light and warmth radiating from those hazel orbs; just a different degree depending on the circumstance.  But the eyes looking at her now were completely void of everything.  

Right now Max didn't care about the consequences, she needed to hear him speak or at least see a trace of the boy she knew in those eyes.  She moved towards him and to her relief he made his way towards her.  Stopping now, not wanting to talk to him in front of the infirmary she waited until he came to her.  When he was only a few steps away, she chanced a smile as she looked up at him, only to see that he wasn't looking at her, and what's more, didn't look like he intended to stop.

"Alec?"  She whispered when he passed her by with not so much a glance.  Max spun in his direction.  "494." She said a bit louder.

He turned around but Max was struck dumb at the way he seemed to be looking straight through her.  He waited in silence but when the seconds ticked by with no words forming on her tongue, he turned his back on her again and walked away.

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	6. part six

Caged Hearts

Part 6

          "44!"

          "45!"

          "46!"

          Max's voice shouted along with the rest as they moved as one up and down doing push-ups.  Nevertheless, her thoughts were far from the morning exercise drills.  Instead she was thinking about Alec or who used to be Alec.  

          It had been two weeks since his dismissal from Psych Ops and almost every one of those days Max had spent trying to communicate with him.  

          But Alec continued to keep his distance.  He knew who she was, and she was very relieved about that.  After that first day she had been terrified that they or he, himself, had done something to his brain to make him forget.  However when she finally was able to get a minute alone with him, he'd said "Max, not now,' proving he knew her name.  That proof did little to help with the sting of him not wanting to talk to her, unfortunately. And even more unfortunate was how that didn't seem to be an isolated incident.  He kept on avoiding her and then outright refusing to meet with her alone when she'd finally corner him. But the most hurtful was when she would chance touching him only to see him immediately flinch and pull away.

          "Your match, 452."  804 choked out.  "Come on, 452, I give."  He continued when she made no move to get off of him.

          Max shook her head and looked down to see her arm cutting off the air of one of her unit members.  She quickly pulled her hand away and stood up.

          Absently she watched as 804 staggered off the mat and 516 stepped on.  Max lashed out at her new opponent viciously even as her mind went back to thoughts of Alec's recent behavior.  But her thoughts were soon interrupted by a loud angry voice not too far away from where she sparred.

          "Are you disobeying a direct order, soldier!"  Heads swung instantly to the shouts of an enraged TAC.  Max and 516 stopped circling each other and joined the others to try and see what the commotion was.  

          She was expecting for the guards to shout for 'eyes front' any second.  But when she saw them instead running passed towards the sound of their colleague shouting at a unit, her curiosity increased.  

          "494, you will stand down immediately!"

          Max ignored the looks of her fellow section members as she broke formation and moved hurriedly towards the sounds of shouting and fighting.

          Her eyes were immediately drawn to the bloody and battered body of an X5 being helped up by members of his section.  They then snapped to the sparring mat where a group of TAC leaders and guards had their tasers and battalions drawn as they surrounded someone.  The three in front of Max crumpled to the ground when they were hit with the body of a guard that was hurled at them.  

          Max covered her mouth to stop the name that almost spilled from it when she saw who was in the center of the mat standing off against the TACs and guards.

          He was crouched low.  His split lip bled and stained the teeth that he bared as he snarled.  His maniacal eyes scanned those surrounding him and his hands looked more like claws as he waited, ready to take whoever came at him next.   

          Max was at her wits end.  Should she help him?  Should she help the guards by trying to calm him down by saying his name and going to him?  Should she really risk exposure?  As she pondered, she caught sight of a guard in the tower behind Alec taking aim.  Max knew the decision had just been made for her.  She poised to blur but suddenly Alec dropped and rolled out of the way and to Max's surprise she saw a tranquilizer dart land where he had been only seconds ago.

_How had he known? _She didn't get the chance to reflect on that further because Alec's display, though spectacular, gave the guards the opportunity they needed to close in on him. They all hit him at once.  Tasers volts and battalions struck his body and made him cry out in anguish.  

And Max could only watch helplessly as they gathered his unconscious body and dragged him away.

***

          "Come on, come on."  Max whispered and then took another glance behind her at the door.  When she saw that she was alone and didn't hear anyone coming she turned back to the array of computer monitors.  Her fingers resumed flying across the keyboards.  

          She wanted answers and she wanted them now.  Talking to Alec hadn't helped.  Talking to the people in charge at Manticore was not an option.  Therefore, she was left with finding the answers herself using the skills that they gave her.  

          She had excelled in communications as a child even back in the Wyoming facility.  Once she got out of psych ops that training continued.  When she mastered the ins and outs of everything from the telephone to global positioning and navigation systems they started her on computers.

          "Bingo."  Max repeated the word she often heard one of her trainers say when she found what she had been looking for.  The records on all the transgenics had to be thoroughly encoded in case any sharp hacker managed to get into their systems.  Foreign powers were enough of a threat if they learned how to create their own super soldiers.  But the domestic front would be just as threatening if they were to first discover a program that created soldiers and then coupled that with the level of genetic manipulation and physical and psychological conditioning those child soldiers underwent.

          While it was rapidly decoding, she took another look behind her, just in case.  She was taken a big risk doing this, but in the end she convinced herself that it was more of a win-win situation.  If she got caught and sent to isolation, at least she'd be near Alec. Maybe they could finally talk through Morse code since they'd have nothing better to do.  And if Psych Ops wound up being the penalty, she could at least see Jace since they carted her off to there not too long after Alec.  

But at least she _knew_ why Jace got taken away.

          Instead of letting herself get side tracked by _that_, Max turned her attention once again to the computer monitor. Her finger remained pressed on the down cursor arrow as her genetically enhanced brain scanned and committed to memory all of the information pertaining to 494's recent stay in Psych Ops.

***

          Max blurred through the trails pushing herself harder and harder at each marker.  She needed the speed, the cold air whipping through her hair, and her surroundings hazy as she raced passed them.  This was the closest to flying she could get now that Alec wouldn't so much as touch her.  Plus she needed to think.  And unlike with Alec, when in his arms, all her thoughts and problems were forgotten; now she needed this different sensation of flying because it helped her mind work through everything she learned in his files.

          There were no pictures in the computer files, but the physical descriptions of the way those people had been killed and displayed left clear images in her head.  

She'd seen that before, hell she did that before.  But they had been reprimanded by Lydecker for their actions in the woods that day with the prisoner.  They had been told it was unnecessary carnage.  A kill should be quick and efficient using only one's mind and skill.  Not savage and messy for that was clearly succumbing to emotion. And he had been right.  They thought the prisoner was a nomalie, the monsters in the basement, the things they sent Jack to after they took him away. Losing Jack had been fresh in their minds and they lost control that day in the woods.  But they learned the difference. At least Max thought they did but apparently not, because Ben, sweet Ben that used to smile and make shadow puppets on the wall to make her smile, was killing…murdering people in the same way they did in the woods that day all those years ago.  

Why was he doing that?  Had Alec been right?  Was the world such a corruptive and disgusting place, so filled with the enemy, that Ben had been attacked or threatened _that_ _many_ times since escaping?  

But why was he taking their teeth out?  Why was he branding them with his barcode?  That's not something they were taught to do to the enemy.  That was like what the file had said repeatedly throughout the pages:  Psychotic.  Ben was 'psychotic' and because he and 494 were twins they were testing Alec for 'psychotic tendencies.'

Max's foot faltered and her pace abruptly slowed to catch herself from falling when a new question suddenly pierced her brain. 

_What would Manticore do to test if someone was psychotic or not?_

TBC

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	7. part seven

Caged Hearts

Part 7

        The rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared leaving only the stars.  From Max's perch on the roof she had an excellent view.  She and Alec would sometimes race each other on who could point out and name the most.  But Alec wasn't with her tonight, and she took no notice of the stars.  All she could do was think about what Manticore did to him.

        How could they think Alec was psychotic…crazy enough to do the things Ben had done?  Wasn't his record in Manticore, alone, enough to prove that he didn't easily crack?  And what?  Did they think all of the missions they sent us on were relaxing and enjoyable!  That couldn't be further from the truth.

        Max pulled her knees closer to her chest from the sudden chill she felt as her mind took her back a few years to her first combat mission: the mission that completely changed her life.

        The missionary school was a front.  Oh the majority of the children there were really students and a few of the people teaching were really teachers.  But those were only to disguise the fact that some of the children were highly trained soldiers and most of the so called teachers were actually Special Force soldiers put there to act as a liaison between the U.S. and a powerful group of rebels trying to overthrow the current regime.

        Every Manticore-made prototype's initiation into real battle scenarios included doing time on that base so many time zones away.  

At least it did when it had been there.

Max and Alec had been assigned to the same squad sent to do a detail at the base.  Everyone had been excited including both Max and Alec.  Being sent to Nibodia essentially meant that you officially passed inspection and were a true soldier.  If you did well there, solo missions and long-term away assignments were just around the corner.  And for a kid at Manticore, it didn't get any better than that.

        But only a few days after they arrived something had gone horribly wrong.  To this day nothing was ever fully explained, but Max had a few theories.  Not that it mattered.  There was no way she'd ever find out for sure if she was correct.  And knowing the reason certainly wouldn't change the past or bring the dead back.  

        So many had died that day.  There had been no warnings.  One minute the compound was there, the next it was a pile of rubble.  The school, the homes, the church, and all the other buildings were blown to smithereens.   

        At first Max believed she had been lucky that she had been sent to scout.  She was far away when the sounds of explosions filled the air. The hilltop she raced to allowed her a clear view of the damage.  But as she watched the fires burn and the smoke build little by little the thoughts of her predicament began to settle in.  

        Protocol was to go to ground and wait until the "smoke cleared" before checking back for survivors or a way to contact command.  She couldn't trust the natives because they could be the enemy.  Essentially she would be all alone until the ones responsible finished checking out their handy work.  In the meantime, she had no food, water, money, or shelter.  

        There were a few moments of panic when she realized she had no way of knowing what would become of her and no how of getting back to Manticore.  But she figured it out.  She found a market to steal food and a brook nearby to get water from and during the day she stayed out of sight on her hilltop, all the while, watching the progress of the enemy looking through the wreckage.  

She knew she shouldn't venture out at all, even for food, but she was hoping to run into some of the others who survived.  It didn't dawn on her until three nights later that she might be the only survivor.  She didn't think the civilians had made it out.  They weren't Manticore or trained for such scenarios.  Instead, she'd kept herself sane by thinking that once it was okay to go back to the base, the rest of her unit would be there to meet her.  Alec would be there to meet her.  

The thought that he didn't survive was not something she was ready to face at all.  All though they started off on the wrong foot, they were now sort of like allies. Talking and being around him was the closest thing to family she had since 2009.  He made Manticore more tolerable.  If he didn't survive…

She couldn't complete that thought.

But he did survive. In fact he was the only other survivor.

She'd never forget the feeling that overcame her when she saw him standing on the other side of the brook staring at her as if he couldn't believe his eyes either.  

They ran to each other and instinctively grabbed hold of one another, afraid to let go.  But their bodies touching hadn't been enough.  The need to get closer and feel each other everywhere was overpowering.

When their lips touched, the fire that consumed them fogged out all pain, uncertainty, and reason.  They were lost in each other.  She barely registered him lifting her and carrying her out of the water to the small shack he had been hiding in.

        That first time there had been no words only passion and need.  Even during the trek back to the base after the enemy soldiers had left, they didn't talk about what had happened.  It wasn't necessary.  They knew things had changed between them.  But there were no regrets and they also knew that neither one wanted to go back.  

        Their coupling naturally made their bond stronger as did the two days they spent on the base huddled together in one of the lesser destroyed buildings.  

        The atmosphere being filled with the smell of charred flesh and the howling wind that could easily be mistaken for the sounds the surrounding dead made was hardly a romantic setting. Nevertheless being under these circumstances completely alone would have been intolerable, and that knowledge made them cling to one another all the harder.

        Now as Max sat atop the rooftop reflecting on that time several years ago, she again hugged herself tighter; remembering his arms around her during those nights.  

Manticore didn't know about any of what happened when they found each other.  All they did see were the burnt and dismembered bodies of their unit and the civilians when they finally sent a rescue contingent.  

_And they got a full and detailed report on what we had to do to survive those days when we were on our own. _Max reasoned. _Yet that wasn't good enough for Manticore.  They needed more 'proof' that 494 could remain 'intact' after the things he'd seen and done.  They had to haul him away and subject him to month after month of different 'tests' and 'procedures'?_

        "Why?"  Max whispered aloud even though she wanted to scream it.  

***

        The next day, Max was once again moving through the wooded trails of Manticore.  However this time she wasn't racing nor was she alone. 

        Today she was tracking someone.  She saw him jogging towards the trails when she was showing her squad a new striking technique.  She knew if she could catch up with him in the woods, it would be the perfect place for them to talk without being bothered.

        So after ordering the young X6s to first practice the new techniques and then to go run the obstacle course on the other side of the compound, Max took off after 494.

        With the knowledge she gained recently, it was no surprise that her mind kept flashing back to the time she and her brothers and sisters hunted and killed the convict as she crept through the woods being careful not to alert Alec of her presence just yet.

        But eventually, he must have sensed her approach because suddenly he slowed and stopped.  However a moment before he turned around, Max had already made her move.  

Alec instinctively caught the figure that leapt at him and together they tumbled down a small incline before coming to rest in a tangle of limbs.

"Max, what the hell are you doing!"

"You won't use words.  You won't let me touch you."  She yelled down at him.  "Fine, I'll try another form of communication."  She drew her hand back and punched him in the jaw.  She then jumped up and squared off in a fighting stance.

Alec shook his head as he got to his feet. 

"I mean it, Max.  I'm NOT in the mood." He said while dusting himself off dramatically.

"Too bad."  She launched a kick to his chest flooring him instantly.  

Alec's expression was incredulous as he looked up at the brunette standing over him.

"What's the matter?"  Max smirked.  "Didn't think you could get taken down so easily by someone three whole weight classes under you?"

"Believe me, Max, you don't want to play this game."  Alec warned as he slowly rolled over and started to get up again.

"Don't I?"  Max said as she kicked him in his side making him land once again on his back.

"Enough!"  He growled after kipping up.  "You don't know what I'm capable of, Max."

"That's where you're wrong.  I know you better than you know yourself."  She said before launching herself at him.

Instinctively Alec fell into defensive positions as she came at him with kicks and punches from all different angles.  

_Was this another trick? _He thought and began to panic a little._ Why is she fighting me?  _

His distractive thoughts cost him and before he knew it, his lip was bleeding and his head throbbed from where her boot caught it.

"Well soldier," Max began as she danced around in front of him trying to decide where she'd strike next.  "Looks like you're certainly capable of being a good punching bag.  Maybe they should tattoo TKO over your barcode.

If she had known the images those words would conjure for Alec, she never would have said them.  But she hadn't and it was too late now.

The wind left her as the ground met her back with bruising force.  And she couldn't draw air back into her lungs because his hand was closed around her throat in a crushing grip.

Her eyes bulged and her hands pulled at the larger ones squeezing her throat.  But just as swiftly as the attack began it was over.  

"NO!" 

Max hadn't even realized her eyes were squeezed shut until they snapped open after hearing his anguished shout.

"Alec."  She got out between coughs.

"Oh Max!"  He screamed.  His face was twisted in horror at his actions while his eyes dripped tears.  "Max, I'm sorry!"  He continued to yell as he fell off of her and scampered back as far from her as he could get while on all fours.  

"Alec, its o—"Max rasped as she rubbed her throat and slowly sat up.  

"You see!  You see what I am." His shouts cut her off. "You see why you have to stay away!"

"Alec, stop!"  She yelled, her voice returning at last.  "There's nothing wrong with you!"

"Yes there is.  This proves it.  Manticore cleared me, but they still knew I was capable of this.  They were waiting for this.  I hurt people.  I torture people!  Because I like pain.  I like to give it and I like to feel it."

"Alec, no!  That's not you."  Tears were streaming down both their faces even though one was nodding and the other was shaking her head. "That's Ben, Alec, not you!  I know they told you that because you were clones that whatever's wrong with Ben will happen to you.  But that's because they only see us as numbers and sequences.  They don't think of us as having our own thoughts and feelings.  They don't know you Alec.  They don't know you're more than just a number."

Max slowly crossed the distance to him, not even bothering to get up; just crawling on her hands and knees until she was eye level with him.  She took his hand.  Again he flinched and tried to pull away but Max held on with both of hers.  She brought it to her heart.  

"Please look at me, Alec."  When he slowly raised his head she continued. "I know they hurt you, but they're not the only ones here who touch you."  Max took hold of his other hand, this time Alec didn't resist.  "And these hands," She placed a kiss on each one.  "Manticore doesn't know the half of what their capable of.  But I do Alec."  

His wide hazel eyes moved from the small hands that grasped his own to the sad brown eyes that were imploring him to believe her.    

"When they touch me all I feel is safe and happy.  The only time I _ever_ feel safe and happy is when I'm with you.  You're not a monster."  Her last words were whispered and Alec watched as a few more tears fell from their beautiful home.

This time when he crushed her to him, there was no pain or fear.  The two clung together in a tight embrace relishing the warmth and strength they drew from one another even as tears continued to stream down each other's cheeks.

The kissed that followed was gentle and reverent as was their joining that followed after that.

TBC


	8. part 8

Caged Hearts

Part 8

          Max marched to her position in line stone-faced despite the surprise she had seen on the way.  

Among the soldiers in line was 343.  Max hadn't seen her in almost a year.  She'd been in Psych ops ever since Victor's "accident."  

Max remembered the last conversation she had with Jace.  She felt so sorry for her but scared mostly.  Soldiers didn't get pregnant, but Jace had.  When she told Max the news, Max didn't know what to say.  She wouldn't have a clue what to do if she was in Jace's position. Unfortunately, neither had Jace.  In the end she decided to volunteer for a local assassination that would at least get her out of Manticore for a couple of days where she could think.  

But things had gone horribly wrong.  

She hadn't expected the doctor she had been sent to kill to be packing and therefore didn't see the gun until it was too late.  She was able to slit the doctor's throat but not before the doctor got a shot off.  

The pain and the location of the bullet caused her to do a terrible job in patching herself up.  She was unconscious when her handler came to pick her up and take her back to Manticore.  The moment she woke up in the infirmary with Renfro standing over her, she knew that they knew she was pregnant.  

They made her tell them who the father was.  Max would never forget the stricken look on Jace's face when she revealed the moment she finally confessed to them who he was.  

A week later, Victor was gone.  They could have just fired him, but they wanted to make an example which is why they made her identify his body after they pulled it out of the river.  They blamed Jace's sloppy handling of her mission on both her relationship with Victor and her pregnancy.  If the doctor had killed Jace that night, the exposure it would have brought on Manticore would have been inexcusable.  

It's a wonder they didn't terminate Jace right then and there as well.  Actually it wasn't that surprising.  After all, her status provided a unique research opportunity.  But they couldn't let it get out to the rest of us that a unit member was in a family way so they locked her away in psych ops.

Max looked at Jace's flat stomach and wondered if Jace had been allowed to hold her baby or if she was allowed to even see her child ever again.  She doubted it.  The glazed look in her eyes was probably not that of a mother who got to spend time with her child.  Max felt her heart tug at the unfairness of it all.  She wished there was something she could do.

          "Reload!"  The sharp call of the TAC brought Max's attention back to the current drill.  Deftly she reloaded her pistol and then waited for the call to take aim.

          "Aim!"  Max pointed at the target paper fifty yards away and focused.  Once she had it in her sights and her arm steadied her mind drifted back to Jace.  

Maybe there was something she could do.  She knew this compound like the back of her hand thanks to sneaking around it with Alec.  Therefore, she also knew of a million secret places to rendezvous.  With Alec's knack for bribing personnel, she could probably set up places so that Jace could sneak visits with her child.

"Fire!"  Max smiled at the thought as she and everyone else in the row emptied their clips at their target paper.  The X series were completely in sync with the time it took to repeatedly pull their triggers, and the sounds of the bullets hitting the paper beat a perfect rhythm which is why every head turned to the sound of a shot being fired thirty seconds after everyone's last bullet hit their target.

And then they heard the sound of Jace's lifeless body hitting the ground.

***

"Why'd she do it?"  

Max gasped and turned around to see Alec standing behind her.  She must have been really deep in thought to not of heard him approach her. Alec could move like a shadow like they all could, but Max normally would have sensed him no matter what. 

"She had only gotten out of psych ops earlier today."  Alec shuddered.  Max took his hand and pulled him down beside her.  The haunted look in his beautiful eyes eased some.  "I haven't talked to her in months." 

"I'm not surprised they made her that crazy."

Max shook her head.

"It wasn't that.  At least, it wasn't only that.  I told you she was with a lab tech right."  At Alec's nod she continued.  "Well they killed him when they found out."  Alec shook his head, although he was not at all surprised.  "She was pregnant with his child and when…"  Alec looked over at Max when she stopped speaking and saw that her hands were shaking.  He took them in his and kissed them.  Max smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.  "They terminated the baby when they saw that it didn't have any of our special traits.  Jackson, Victor's friend, told me a little while ago.  They told her that it was only useful for further research."  She said; her voice now a mere whisper.

"Alec," Max turned shimmering black pools to him.  "I know you said that the world out there is filthy, diseased, degrading, but I hate it here.  If I ever get the chance, I…I think I'm gonna run.  Would you…_could _you come with me?"

TBC

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	9. part 9

Part 9

He never answered her and they never talked about it again.  She didn't press the issue, because although she knew that he didn't like it at Manticore anymore than she did, he had a bigger reason to fear punishment if they ever got caught than she did.  Too often the nights when he drifted off to sleep in her arms were interrupted by the sounds of him whimpering and moaning, caught in a nightmare about his time in Psych Ops.

So days turned into months and time went on as if that conversation never occurred.  But then fate or divine intervention or something happened that made that question very relevant.  

They were both being sent out in the field on the same mission.  It would be long term and they would be assigned together for the duration.

Renfro found out that one of their own had given classified information to the South Africans.  The distant country had their own experimental brand of super soldiers called the Red Series, and the new director of Manticore knew how dangerous it would be if that program was able to successfully infuse Manticore technology with their own.  Thus it became top priority to find out what the South Africans already knew and then their base of operations in the United States would need to be destroyed.  Of course, first they had to figure out where said base was.  

And so far, they had absolutely no idea.  

That was where the X series came into the equation.  Teams of X5s were to be sent out.  They're mission would be to smoke out the Reds by acting as bait.  Renfro wasn't naïve.  She knew that despite how hard Manticore had worked to cover up the '09 escape, rumors still reached all the right channels about the transgenic prototypes that made it out and had been living on the run ever since.  

Finally that disaster would work in their favor.  By sending loyal soldiers out and having them pose as the escapees it would only be a matter of time before the South Africans would come to collect a stray.  

          The teams of two would be stationed all along Washington as far up as the Canadian border where the latest Intel rumored the South Africans base to be located.  Each team would keep in constant contact with one another as a precaution.  The Red Series reputation was not to be taken lightly and enough Xs needed to be close enough to swoop in for the rescue if anyone of their own was captured.

***

This was the most fun Alec ever had on a mission.  The young X5 couldn't stop grinning as he leapt from one building to the next. 

Because every X5 on the mission was bait they had to be fairly high profile.  He'd always known that his transgenic abilities allowed him to endure and perform feats that no normal human being could.  And he would be lying if, at times, he didn't feel superior because of them. But those abilities came at a price.  The rigorous training, the lack of freedom, the punishments for even the slightest deviation from what Manticore deemed as perfect were just some of the things that made him wish he were normal especially because even on missions his transgenic nature was part of a secret identity only used briefly and discreetly to carry out whatever task was required of him.  But now his abilities could be used for fun.  Blurring in plain sight and demonstrating their "supernatural" strength were orders he never thought he'd receive, and he was following them to the fullest.

He slowed and looked behind him to see how far the police officers that were chasing him were.  Soon he heard the bumbling footsteps of two officers making progress up the stairwell of the building he had just leaped from.  Alec waited until they burst through the door to the roof and saw him before taking off again.

After checking into rooms at a no star hotel and getting settled with food, civilian clothes, and communication links between the other X5 headquarters on the mission, he and Max had scouted the area to find the perfect places for exposure.

Alec decided a daring robbery of an office building in the financial district would be a good place for him to start.  He wore a mask in front of his face rather than a ski mask so that the back of his neck was clearly visible.  Even though subduing the two security guards, herding the few clients and personnel into a storage room, cracking the vault code, and loading up his duffel bag had taken less than ten minutes he made sure his back was to the different mounted cameras the entire time so that his barcode would definitely be recorded.

There were many hover drones that frequented the down town area therefore the odds were great that at least some of them would also capture footage of his spectacular jumps between buildings and his gravity defying climbing of the buildings' walls as he fled from the office. The police station was also nearby and their prompt arrival to the scene was something he had been counting on.  They all were instructed that the S.P.D. could easily be paid off to forget later.  Therefore the thing most important was putting out information to alert the Reds to the presence of a Manticore prototype. A police chase was high profile and exactly the kind of thing they needed to draw attention to themselves. 

A police car was hot on his trail as Alec raced around the corner and into an alley. A twenty foot chain link fence stood between him and the other side.  _Perfect.  _Alec thought as he heard the screech of the police cruiser pull in behind him.

"Freeze!" A distorted voice rang out from a bullhorn.

Alec turned and saw an officer hanging out of the car window with the bullhorn in one hand and a gun in the other.  Another officer was emerging from the car also with her gun drawn.

Alec held up his hands.

"Drop the bag!  On the floor!"  The officer with the bullhorn yelled.

Alec slowly lowered his hands and smiled.  While the cops took a second to try and process what the perpetrator thought was so humorous about his situation, Alec blurred to the end of the alley and leapt over the fence leaving two dumbfounded police officers staring after him.

Across town Max was also enjoying herself as she threw a hairy mammoth of a man into a table collapsing it instantly.  She then leaped into the air back flipping behind the man coming to attack her from behind.  Her small hands painfully gripped his collar and the seat of his pants and before long that man also found himself brutally colliding into a table.

A proud smile graced her face as she surveyed her handy work and then with a wink to the bartender she strolled out of the pub but not before sending the tip of her stiletto into the chin of a patron she had already downed but was unfortunately coming to at the same time she passed him.

A woman, alone, and dressed as provocatively as she was could expect nothing less than lecherous and dehumanizing treatment by the regulars at Grody's Tavern.  The bar's location was seedy enough add to it the fact that the hobbies of the clientele read more like a chart from a psychology textbook listing sadistic and psychotic behavior.  

Max, of course, was counting on all of this after hearing the rumors about the place which is why she hitched her skirt up higher, tugged her tight tank top lower, and donned six inch heels before making her way to the infamous bar. The thought had briefly crossed her mind that this may be a little too risky even for an X5, but for some reason the thought of a room full of horny moral-lacking men gave her goose bumps but in a good kind of way.

The stench of smoke, urine, and sweat cleared when she stepped outside and Max breathed it in thankfully.  But her skin still felt itchy and even more uncomfortable was that thought of going back inside to get another look at that cute bartender.  

Max's eyes widened as that thought did another lap around her brain.

"Shit." She gasped before blurring over to the motorcycle she recently stole and hopping on.

          TBC

Author's note:  I don't know why I stopped there.  I didn't plan on it.  Oh well, guess that just means I'll have to spread the next chapter out even longer.  If you know what I mean _evil grin_

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	10. part 10

Caged Hearts  
  
Chapter 10  
  
  
  
"You're amazing." Max whispered before kissing him on the mouth.  
  
Alec shrugged. "I know." Max's eyes narrowed before she gave him a punch in the shoulder. "Ow, you're the one that said it. What's wrong with agreeing?" He questioned slightly out of breath. "But just out of curiosity, why do you find me amazing?"  
  
Max studied his chin for a few moments while she gathered her thoughts. Finally she looked him in the eyes again. "Well, it's just that, usually when I'm in heat back at Manticore I get sent to isolation for a week. The unbearable urge only lasts two days and then it's just a dull ache for two days after that. I didn't know it would go away so quickly after only a few hours of sex." Max shrugged. "I'm crediting that to you." She beamed up at him.  
  
Alec beamed right back down at her before lowering his head for another taste of her lips. He then pulled her to him and turned so that he was on his back and her body was nuzzled against his with her head lying on his shoulder. Only while languidly running his fingers through her hair did he notice what she had been talking about. The smell of pheromones was very faint replaced by the powerful scent of them mixed together. It was comforting and it wasn't before long that the two drifted off to sleep.  
  
Three hours later, a persistent beeping sound woke the lovers.   
  
"It's code 268." Alec said after looking at his pager.  
  
"That fast." Max said, eyes wide with disbelief.  
  
Alec nodded. "I know." He tossed the pager onto the other bed before reaching over and taking her back into his arms. "I was hoping we'd have a lot more time alone on the outside." He murmured into her hair.  
  
"Yeah, me too." Max whispered as she clutched him back. Then all too soon for both of their liking she withdrew and climbed out of bed. "Oh well." Max sighed. "Guess you better call in."  
  
***  
  
Max was fully dressed and nibbling on some food by the time he got off the phone and came next door to her room. He joined her at the table and took a bite of the sandwich she had prepared for him before speaking.  
  
"We've been assigned the second shift." He informed after swallowing.   
  
"Coordinates?"  
  
"He told me he'd lead them to Sector 5, around twelfth and Jackson."  
  
Max nodded. "It's a good area. Not a lot of civilians and even fewer turn offs. What are we looking for?"  
  
Alec rolled his eyes. "Big van, says animal control on it."  
  
Max rolled her eyes as well. "Original."  
  
X5-268 was a good lure for entrapping the Red Series. He didn't have to draw attention to himself with open displays of the super human feats all X series were capable of and hope that sooner or later those feats would reach the right channels. 268's approach was far more subtle. He was specifically chosen for the mission because of it.   
  
Low serotonin levels leading to seizures was a problem that made the most successful X series in every other area, the X5s, still short of the goal Manticore had been hoping to achieve.   
  
But after years of study and examination they were able to fix the problem in their existing series and completely eliminate it in later series. However 268's make-up contained a genetic anomaly that always made him reject the serotonin fix that stabilized the seizures in the rest of the X series. However, he was saved from being destroyed when a lab tech discovered that a simple over the counter food supplement called Tryptophan helped.   
  
Before the pulse, Manticore had people set up on all the places that sold the drug from Wyoming to Canada knowing that sooner or later the escapees who left before the fix were going to figure out the drug would help them and go looking. However after the pulse, with the U.S. in an economic break down, that plan had to be abandoned.   
  
The classified information Lydecker fed to the South Africans included the problem with the low serontine levels, and since Renfro knew the South Africans were aware of the possibility of the escapees suffering from seizures, 268 was sent out in the field after purposefully being pulled off his meds.   
  
He collapsed from a seizure twelve hours after he was deployed and was rushed to a hospital.   
  
A young male around the age of 20 suffering from seizures caused by low serotonin levels with a barcode on the back of his neck were too many red flags for the South Africans to ignore.  
  
268 noticed he was being followed within minutes of leaving the hospital.  
  
***  
  
"As soon as our shift is over, I'm getting me one of these." Alec shouted in Max's ear and then gripped her waist tighter as she took another curve at break neck speed.  
  
"Fun, right!" Max shouted back.  
  
"Oh yeah!" Alec grinned as they continued to race through sectors on the motorcycle Max had stolen. They were minutes away from the rendezvous point when Alec's cell phone chirped.  
  
"494." Max heard him say behind her. He still had a firm grip on her with just the one hand but she slowed down anyway.  
  
"What's up?" She asked when she felt his hand back on her side.  
  
"Change of plans." Alec yelled. Max pulled over to the side so they would not have to shout. "They already nabbed him. 573 and 951 are trailing them. The last place they passed through was Mount Vernon so we're setting up the main HQ at 740's. Our orders are to head their now."  
  
"Gotcha." Max nodded before turning around and revving up her engine and together they sped off into the night.  
  
TBC  
  
NC-17 version found at Gumboot Mafia or my web page (angelfire.com/ma4/eva/ca10.htm)  
  
Please Review 


	11. part 11

**Caged Hearts**

**Part 11**

            "What's your status, 452, over?"

            "80 percent copied, Sir.  I should be done in approximately four minutes.  Over."

            "Roger.  Remain where you are until I give you the go ahead to contact 494 and set up a place to meet."

            "Yes sir."  Max whispered into the microphone attached to her collar.  From behind she heard the sound of clothing rubbing against a hard surface and quickly turned to confirm where it was coming from. 

            The man that was lying on the floor with a gash in his forehead courtesy of Max's boot was starting to regain consciousness.  Max dropped down to her knees by his head.  She put her hand to the base of his skull and drove her thumb into the crown/meridian pressure point sending him promptly back to sleep.

            When she stood and looked back over at the computer she saw that the blue bar on the screen was now at eighty-seven percent. As Max watched it inch further along she couldn't help thinking of how Alec was doing.

            On the other side of the facility, Alec was crouched low with his ear pressed against a door.  He could hear two bodies moving around on the other side.  He waited until he heard the sound of their footsteps moving away before easing up to peer through the small window etched into the door's body.  When he saw the two men turn the corner at the end of the hall, Alec deftly bypassed the electronic lock and entered.

            In a blur of movements, he made his way up and down the hall placing tiny innocuous looking devices under the keypads to each door along the hallway.

            Only the X5s watching his progress on the screen inside the control van parked several miles away could follow his movements.  To the ordinaries overseeing the operation, trying to focus on the almost instantaneous changes of the camera angles only gave them headaches. When it came to displaying elements of speed and stealth under pressure, 494 was probably the best Manticore had much like 452 when it came to hacking into and deciphering complex computer programs and codes the enemy used to store their secrets; which is why the two were chosen to initially infiltrate the South African's facility.

            452's mission was to download all files the South Africans either stole or were giving on Project Manticore and corrupt those sent and being sent electronically to the main base in South Africa while 494 mapping out the building with the surveillance equipment he wore as he laid explosives throughout the facility. With the information on the building their team was relayed back they'd be able to come up with the best plan to reacquire 268, who was undoubtedly under heavy guard, before blowing up the South Africans' entire installation.  The great thing about top secret facilities is that they tended to be tucked away in isolated areas far from civilian interference.  The Red Series Project was no exception. When the place blew, a thunder clap, earthquake, or some other natural phenomena would probably be used to describe the sound that reached the closest civilization in the vicinity.

            Alec gently closed the door he had entered only moments before and then blurred down the hall.  He went into the dark, empty room he'd spotted earlier and then lifted a hand in front of his face and made the "okay" sign.

            With 494 no longer moving around the building where he could accidentally be overheard either receiving orders or communicating himself, Sandoval instructed a soldier to open 494's link to 452's.

            Max was one corridor over from the place where she and Alec set up to meet when she heard a man speaking Afrikaans through her ear piece.

            Sandoval cursed.  He was about to ask how far away 452 was when he heard the stranger again.

            "What did he say, 452"

            "He asked 'what's that?'" Max whispered back.

            "Take him out 494, we can't afford witnesses." Sandoval ordered.

            Alec had almost made it to the end of the corridor when a door that was inches away to the right of him suddenly opened.  The man that stepped out was thankfully not a Red.  But unfortunately he was someone high ranking enough or smart enough to question why Alec was there dressed in fatigues and carrying a bulky knapsack. 

            Speaking back to the man in his dialect relaxed the South African only slightly because unfortunately he didn't buy the fact that Alec was there looking for a bathroom. 

            As the man reached for his cell phone, Alec blurred behind him.  The sound of a neck breaking seemed to echo in the empty halls.

            Max arrived just as Alec finished hiding his body under the desk of the office the South African had come out of. There eyes locked and Max didn't like the slightly haunted look she saw in his.  But they were listening so she couldn't do anything about it.

            "All's clear."  She said instead into her microphone.

            "Evacuate immediately."  Sandoval ordered.

            After being commended for a job well done, Alec and Max were sent to the supply van to turn in their equipment and get food.  They wouldn't be part of the retrieval team so after they ate if they wanted they could bunk down while the planning was being done. 

            With the bustle of activity going on around them, they sat close together but ate in silence.  Twenty minutes after they sat down to eat 396 sent out word that the director was expected to call.

            Max and Alec looked at each other with a shrug that said 'mind as well see what the witch wants,' so they got up and joined the others inside the control van.

            A collective stiffening of bodies resulted when Renfro's face popped up on the video phone.

            "You reviewed the data?"  Sandoval said.

            "Yes.  Good work 452 it seems you copied everything needed."

            Max nodded in acknowledgement.

            "All the charges have been laid I take it."

            Both Sandoval and Alec nodded.

            "Good.  Cauterize the site then.  There's no need to go back in seeing as we have all the data."

            If they were less trained the seven X5s inside the van would have turned and looked at one another.  A few whispered words may have also been uttered.  But a slight twitching that was hardly noticeable was the only outward sign of the same inner thought. 

            _What about 268?_

            The tension eased a moment later when Sandoval quickly explained that the captured X5-268 had not been recovered yet and that the second team was not only going to get any more needed data but also their fellow soldier.

            "The unit still inside is 268, right?"  Renfro said while pulling out a file.

            "Correct." Sandoval answered.

            Renfro skimmed the file they could only assume was 268's for about five seconds.

            "Ah yes, the one with the genetic anomaly."  Renfro said casually.  She sat the file down and looked back out at them. "That unit's expendable.  You can go ahead and destroy the facility immediately."

            "Yes ma'am." Sandoval concurred without hesitation.  He was more than happy to be done with this mission.

            So with one push of a button, 268's contract of service was ended.

            The after shock rocked the van but the affects were barely felt by the Xs inside.  The loss of power and lights was welcome because even though they could still see they knew their handlers couldn't so they took the time to silently reflect and muse over the brother they had just lost.    

_That unit's expendable._

            _We're all expendable.  _Max thought as she fought to swallow the lump forming in her throat.  She had no idea why 268's passing was hitting her this hard this fast especially since her life was filled with examples of fellow soldiers she knew that had died. 

            _But they didn't have to._ A voice whispered way in the depths of her mind.  The same voice she'd hear after every time Manticore did something that just didn't feel right. 

            Next to her Alec too was desperately trying to shush the small voice in his head that kept saying that this was wrong.  Manticore's way is wrong.

_Does it matter?  It's what I know.  I'm one of Manticore's soldier and soldiers follow orders no matter what._ 

            _But what if it had been Max still inside the facility?_  _Would you follow orders then?  And if it wasn't Max this time, how long before it is?_

_            How long before you're ordered to think of her as expendable?_

            The questions stopped when the power returned to the van seconds later.  The video phone flickered a few times and then Renfro's face came back on the screen.

            "Do a sweep of the compound's remains to make sure there were no survivors and then return to base immediately."  She ordered with no preamble.  "937, 740, 494, and 452 you will remain in the area to keep watch in case some of the personnel from the facility were not there.  Destroy them on sight. Report every forty-eight hours.  Sandoval, patch me to your private line.  Another situation's come up and I need a word with you."

            Peter Sandoval nodded and then turned to do Renfro's bidding completely oblivious of the somber spirits of the young people in the van with him.

            "You haven't touched your rations, 494?  Are you ill?" Alec heard 740's quiet voice ask.

            "Not hungry."  494 clipped out.  He then looked down at his watch; his jaw clenching as he noted the time.

            "You'll be out in the field for several hours.  It's not a good idea to do your shift on an empty stomach.  What if you're confronted by the enemy?  You won't be at full strength."  740 reasoned.

            "I said I'm not hungry!"  Alec yelled.

            740, to her credit, didn't as much as flinch at Alec's angry tone.  She simply gave him a disapproving look before turning her attention back to eating her own meal.

            Still irritated, Alec angrily pushed his chair back and walked away from the table.  In any other circumstance he would have left the tension filled cabin.  But he didn't need to leave for his shift for another ten minutes, and he fully intended to remain where he was for each and everyone one of those minutes in the hopes Max would be walking through the front door during one of them.

            Max: she had some serious explaining to do.

            She was the reason why he had snapped at 740 and why he was still so angry now.

            It had been a week since the other members of their unit had packed up and left and the four of them had set up their base of operations in an abandoned cabin not far from where the South African's facility had once stood.  The cabin was ideal because it overlooked the main road so they could see the enemy or anyone for that matter coming far in advance.  Plus it was an easy climb down to that road which led to a city a mere ten miles away.

            Alec had been to the city a couple of times and although it lacked a lot of the fun places that many sectors in Seattle held; there was still plenty of places to go and stuff to do with Max that he knew the opportunities to experience with one another again would be few if at all.

            But they were losing that window of opportunity and it was all Max's fault.  Alec didn't understand why her behavior had been so dark this past week. They talked very little and she shied away or even flinched when he made the barest of contact with her.  At first he thought it had to do with 740 and 937's presence in the cabin with them.  But there had been a few times when those two had been off either in the city or on watch and Max and Alec had been completely alone in the cabin.  But Max acted the same way.  Often he would catch her staring off into space and when he tried to get her to talk to him she'd walk away or tell him to leave her alone. 

But the last straw had been last night. She never returned to the cabin after her shift.  Hours passed with him growing more and more worried but unable to voice his concerns because 937 certainly didn't seem bothered by 452's unexplained absence.  At least that's what Alec had thought until he found out five near hair tearing out hours later that Max had told 937 that she was going to be hanging out in the city and not to wait up when he had come to relieve her of her watch duty.

Alec had been furious and still was because it was the next morning, he had to leave for his shift in four minutes and Max still hadn't shown up yet!

            Alec couldn't believe what he was seeing as he looked around the cabin six hours later. 

            There was still no sign of her.  The place was deserted.  Alec went down the hall where the bedrooms were and entered the girls' room. He quickly ascertained that she hadn't been home seeing how her side of the room was exactly how it had been when he last checked.  Alec decided he'd just have to go and search the whole damn city.  But a sound from the front of the cabin gave him pause. 

            When he heard the door open he held his breath but then let it out sharply figuring it was probably only 937.  However a moment later her scent reached his nostrils when he breathed again and Alec felt the tension of not knowing where she had been all this time evaporate.  But a second later the tension was replaced with fury over the fact that he hadn't known where she had been this entire time.

            He stormed out of her room and back into the living room.

            She was standing by the window with her back to him.

            "Where were you?"  He asked quietly.  Since her back was to him she couldn't see his face or his stance and therefore the calm way he spoke those words was quite misleading.

            "I wanted some time alone.  So I just walked around that city all night."  She answered still not looking at him.

            "Why didn't you call me and tell me that?"  He said, his voice rising slightly.

            "I told 937."  She shrugged nonchalantly and Alec felt his temper snap.

            He blurred to her and spun her around.

            "Why didn't you tell ME!"  He shouted.

            "Alec, I'm really not in the mood for this." She said jerking out of his grip and walking a few feet away and turning her back on him yet again.

            "What the fuck is your problem, Max?  Why are you being this way?  You haven't said so much as two words to me since we got here.  You avoid me like the plague, ignoring me, letting me know your whereabouts via messenger service.  What did I do?"

            "Nothing." She said monotonously.

            "Then why are you mad at me?"

            "I'm not." She answered still not facing him.

            "Then why are you acting like this?" 

            "I don't want to talk about it right now." She whispered.

            "Why?  We're alone."  He spread out his arms indicating the empty cabin room.  "It's the perfect time.  You know we're going to be heading back to base in a couple of days."  He continued to reason.  "You may not get another chance."

            "I'm not going back."  She broke in abruptly.

            "You're not going back."  Alec repeated slowly.  "What the hell do you mean you're not going back."

            "I'm not going back to Manticore, Alec."  She turned around to face at him at last.

            "Max, you're not serious."  
            "I've never been more serious."

            The look in her eyes scared him because he knew for sure that she was serious.

            "Why?"  He asked.

            "I just can't go back there."

            "Well where the hell are you gonna go?"  Alec shouted.

            "Somewhere…anywhere."  Max shouted right back.  "I'll figure something out."  She added in a more deflated tone.

            "Max," He said softly while closing the distance between them though not getting too close.  "What the hell is going on?  Where is all of this coming from?  Why now?

            "I'm pregnant." 

            He couldn't have heard her right.

            "What?"

            "I'm pregnant, Alec!"  Max shouted the emotions rising quickly to the surface as tears welled in her eyes.  "I can't go back to Manticore like this!  I'm not letting them take my baby!  I'm not letting what happened to Jace happen to me."  She continued to rant.  "I'm leaving."

Alec opened his mouth to speak thinking she was finished but she wasn't.

"And it's better that way.  Better for everyone.  Think of what they'll do to you too if I went back.  They'd easily identify you as the father with a few simple tests. Then you'll be punished t--"

            "I'm going with you."  Alec cut in.  
            "Alec no.  You don't have to."  She said as more tears fell out of her eyes.  "You're still in the clear.  I've thought about it.  Me and the baby will alright and Manticore will never find out about us."  She said gesturing between her and him.

            "Damn it Max, I don't care about Manticore when it means losing you.  How am I supposed to go back there knowing I'll never see you again?  Losing what we have--."  
            "Oh Alec, you can have that with anybody."  Max said sternly.  However inside she was quivering because of what she was seeing in his face and hearing  in his voice.  He meant it. He really would be willing to risk everything and run away with her.  A few tears were still leaking from her eyes but now she felt like laughing.  _Must be the hormones.  _Why else was she suddenly so happy?

            "There's no way I'll find what I have with you with someone else."  He said softly. The look in his eyes were so sincere Max had to remind herself to breath.

            "Don't be silly."  She chastised while wiping her eyes roughly.  "I'm sure it won't be hard to work your charm on some other unsuspecting horny female X5."

            Alec laughed and Max joined in.

            "Horny female X5 definitely."  Alec said huskily while eyeing her up and down. "But unsuspecting, Max, come on."  He said while shaking a finger at her.  "Admit it, you wanted to get into my pants the moment you first saw me.  I was just pretending I wasn't on to your plot every time you'd insult me or assault me."

            "You wish Alec."  Max sassed back.

            Alec suddenly stepped forward and grabbed both her small hands with his larger ones. 

"I do wish Max."  He said not joking anymore.  "I wish to spend the rest of my life with you.  I wish to see you carrying my baby in your belly.  I wish to be there when you bring it into this world.  Our world.  I can't be without you, Maxie.  I love you and wherever you go, I'll be right there next to you."

She was crying again.  Hormones or no that was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard before in her life.

            "You do." She swallowed and looked up at him still in disbelief.  A nod from him and the doubts vanished.  "I love you too, Alec."  Max nearly shouted as she threw herself into his arms. "I love you so much."

            The words were said but now they needed to show each other how they felt.  The cabin would be there's for only a short while longer but it would have to be long enough.  

            He lifted her in his strong arms and carried her to his bed.

            The two dressed in silence both content to relish in the good feelings their live making had just conjured.  But as Max laced up her boots reality began to chip away at her good mood.  She turned to look at Alec.  His back was to her and she watched his muscles bunch and flex as he pulled on his sweater.  He was so strong.  He'd protect her and their baby.  He'd fight to the death for them.  She was sure of that.  But she didn't want it to have to come to that and as much as she wanted him to go with her she felt she still had to voice the concern that was undoubtedly on his mind as well.

_            "_You know, Manticore's never going to stop looking for us, Alec."  She said quietly.

            Alec turned to look at her. For a while their eyes just locked and then his shoulders straightened and his voice was deep and full of confidence when he spoke. "I'll meet you tonight while you're on watch duty at around two."

            "We're gonna leave tonight?"  Max squeaked incredulously.

            "No, I think I've gotta plan.  But I'm gonna need a few things.  And it'll take a couple of days to get everything in place.  Hopefully I'll have it all worked out in my head by tonight and I'll run it by you."

            "Well what kind of plan is it?"

            "It's a way to make sure Manticore never comes after us again."

__

_A few days later_

"Report."  Renfro barked.

"The South Africans discovered our headquarters, Ma'am.  494 warned us of their situation at 11:25.  He and 452 were barricaded in the back room completely surrounded and under heavy fire. 740 and I were too far away to offer any assistance in time.

Renfro breathed one heavy breath before turning her glare away from the young soldiers and towards her office door.

"Come in."  She ordered. 

Timidly a Manticore techie pushed open Renfro's office door and scanned the room warily before crossing the threshold.   

"What have you got?"  Renfro's cold voice seemed to startle the techie into action and he quickly dashed to her desk where he set up the tape player that had been under his arm.

"Control here records all communications in the field broadcasted with our equipment."  He began in a nasally voice.  "This is the last conversation between 494 and 937."  The techie straightened and even chanced a tiny smile especially since it was his suggestion to go over the data from the Red Scare mission. "I think ya'll find that it will shed some l—"

"Play the tape."  Renfro's irritated voice sounded.

Pride wilted, the techie lifted a shaky finger to the play button and pushed.

There was a moment of distortion before 937's voice could be heard.  He was screaming.

"494 repeat!  What is your status!  Damn it 494 repeat!"

A crackle of static and then the sounds of gunfire filled the office.

"Do not return to base!"  494 suddenly shouted.  "They've got us surrounded!"

A female voice could be heard yelling in the background but her words were lost in the sound of bullets.

"452 just ran out of ammo and I'm dry too.  It's only a matter of seconds before they breech!"

This time the female voice was loud and clear.

"It's over 494.  Do it now!"  She shouted.

Then there was static.

When it became apparent that there was no remaining audio, Renfro looked up at 937 and 740.

"Did you find any remains?"  She asked.

"The whole site and everything in a one mile radius was completely incinerated. " 740 responded weakly.  "Ma'am" She tacked on as an afterthought.

            "Very well."  Renfro straightened primly.  Her demeanor after hearing the terror that went on in the cabin the same as if hearing the winning lottery numbers for New York.  "Let this be an example to you soldiers.  494 and 452 are to be commended for their actions.  They knew what it would mean if they managed to be captured by the South Africans alive _or _dead so they destroyed themselves for the good of Manticore.  A very noble sacrifice."  Renfro's eyes seemed to glint after those last words but as to what emotion she was experiencing neither X5s present or the technician could guess.  And a second later it was gone.

 "You are all dismissed."

            The tech quickly gathered his equipment and the X5s saluted before the three hastily retreated. 

            "Very noble indeed."  Renfro repeated once she was alone.  Then she smiled a full fledge smile at the idea of two teenage kids blowing themselves up to protect Manticore's secrets.  The body and mind of quite possibly the most powerful weapons in the world were completely under Manticore's control.  "And therefore under _my _control."  She said aloud and then as impossible as her reputation made it seem her smile became even bigger. 

An ocean away two others were smiling and then laughing as they wake up in each others arms.  No longer caged, they are eager to spend another day together full of freedom and love.

The End.

Thank you so much to all those who read and reviewed.  I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  I didn't forget about Dark Angel Revised and I also appreciate the emails urging me to get my butt in gear.  Believe me they do help, I just had to take a little break from writing to work on other stuff.  However, I do hope to have another DAR chapter out by mid June.  In the mean time check out my web page.  I did some reconstruction and now there's a lot more 'tricks and treats,' for your viewing pleasure; candyabblecorner.com


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